Christmas tree stand



April 19, 1960 P. MAUSOLF CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Filed Dec. 4, 1957 INVENTOR. PA MHUSDLT' This invention relates in general to Christmas tree stands and, more particularly, to Christmas tree stands with a stable base and tree supporting means adapted to support in proper upright position trees having a crooked trunk and varying trunk diameters.

Ptent The primary object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree stand of the type referred to in which a stable base includes an outwardly open ball socket arranged substantially centrally of the base and adapted to support a Christmas tree in universally adjustable position, and a plurality of tree bracing members secured to the base in horizontally and vertically adjustable arrange- H'lEZlt with respect thereto to permit proper engagement of the braces with a crooked tree trunk supported in in-v clined position in the ball socket for holding the main portion of the tree in near vertical position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree stand of the type referred to in which the base includes a shallow pan-shaped recess having its bottom wall recessed to form a ball-shaped socket.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree stand 01" the type referred to in which each tree bracing member embodies an attaching section pivoted to the base for horizontal movement with respect thereto and a bracing section hinged to the attaching section for vertical tilting movement with respect thereo.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree stand embodying a flanged frusto-coneshaped base having a shallow pan-shaped recess in its top wall and an open ball socket in the bottom wall of the pan-shaped recess, and a plurality of treebracing members secured to the top wall of the frusto-cone-shaped base adjacent its pan-shaped recess, said bracing members adapted toswing in horizontal and vertical planes.

A still further object of the invention is the combination of a Christmas tree stand of the type referred to above with a Christmas tree having attached to the bottom face of the trunk a ball-like member adapted to form with the open ball socket of said base a ball joint permitting proper adjustment of the tree in the base of the Christmas tree stand.

Further objects and novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts by which the objects in view have been obtained will appear and are set forth in detail in the course of the following specification. The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a certain practical embodiment of the in vention, but it will be apparent as the specification proceeds that the structure shown may be modified and changed in various ways without departure from the true spirit and broad scope of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view through a Christmas tree stand constructed in accordance with the invention, the section being taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the braces of the Christmas tree stand.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the ball-like member to be attached to the bottom face ofa Christmas tree trunk; and

2,933,274 Patented Apr. 19, 1&60

bottom of its peripheral wall a circumferential flange 5 forming a ring-shaped resting surface for the base and at the top of said peripheral wall a centrally recessed top wall 6 providing with its recessed portion a cylindricalshallow vessel 7 which is encircled by a ring-shaped portion 8 of top wall 6. Vessel 7, adapted to contain water, has its bottom wall 9 centrally recessed to form said bottom wallwith an open ball socket 10 adapted to universally support a Christmas tree as will be later described.

Sheet metal base 3 additionally supports three sym metrically arranged bracing members 11 for a Christmas tree, each of which members embodies a mounting section 12 and a slightly curved bracing section 14 of strip meta These sections are hinged to each other by a pin 15 engaging ears rldand E7 on sections 12 and 14, respec-- tively. Section 12 of each bracing member at is pivoted to ring-shaped portion 8 of top Wall 6 by a shouldered rivet 1'3 extended through a hole E9 in said section to permit pivotal shifting. of the mounting sections in a horizontal plane and hinge member 2! between sections 12 and 1,4 is extended in a plane at a right angle to the plane of shouldered rivet Ltd to permit tilting of bracing section 14 in a vertical plane. The free end Zll of bracing section 14 is angularly offset and perforated for attachment of section 14 to a tree trunk by screw 22 extended through perforation 23 and threaded into the tree trunk.

Universal support of Christmas tree 2-4- in Christmas tree stand 2 is attained by a substantially ballshaped member 25 attached to bottom face 26 of tree trunk 27 by a screw member 28. This ball shaped member 25 includes an axial bore 29 for screw member 23 and a substantially fiat resting surface 30 intersected by bore 29. Ball-shaped member 25 when seated in open ball socket it forms therewith a ball joint universally supporting trunk 27 of Christmas tree 24.

Christmas tree 24 when supported to extend its main portion in near vertical position is braced by bracing members 11 readily opposed to trunk 27 by vertical and horizontal adjustment, which bracing members are attached to trunk 27 by screws 22.

Having thus described my invention;

What I claim is:

A tree holder comprising an integral, frustum-like metal base including a ring shaped horizontal top wall, a cylindrical vessel downwardly extended from the inner edge of said ring-shaped top wall, said vessel embodying a bottom wall having a ball socket centrally thereof, and a plurality of tree braces pivotally connected to said ring-shaped top Wall, said tree braces each including a short section horizontally, pivotally mounted on the ring-shaped top wall to swing in a plane parallel thereto and an elongated bracing section hinged to said short section to swing in a plane related at a right angle to the planes of said short section and ring-shaped horizontal wall.

Rei:erences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,091,000 Lyman .Mar. 24, 1914 2,550,009 Griffin Apr. 24, 1951 2,733,032 Farley et al Jan. 31, 1956 2,735,204 Grant Feb. 2l, 1956 2,746,700 Barbers. May 22,1956 7 2,812,916 Jonasson et al Nov. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,389 Germany Aug. 25, 1929 Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on line 5-5 of 

